Role Turboprop regional airliner
National origin France/Italy
Manufacturer ATR
First flight 27 October 1988
Introduction 27 October 1989 (Finnair)
Status In production, In service
Primary users Wings Air
IndiGo
Azul Linhas Aereas
Air New Zealand / Tarom / Mount Cook
Produced 1988–present
Number built 1,000 as of 17 July 2018
Developed from ATR 42
During the 1980s, French aerospace company Aérospatiale and Italian aviation conglomerate Aeritalia merged their work on a new generation of regional aircraft. A new jointly owned company, ATR, was established to develop, manufacture, and market their first airliner, which was later designated as the ATR 42. On 16 August 1984, the first model of the series, designated as the ATR 42-300, performed the type's maiden flight. During the mid-1980s, the ATR 72 was developed as a stretched variant of the ATR 42. On 27 October 1989, Finnish airline Finnair became the first airline to operate the type in revenue service. The ATR 72 has also been used as a corporate transport, cargo aircraft, and maritime patrol aircraft.
During the mid-1980s, ATR sought to introduce a larger airliner with increased capacity over its earlier products. This new regional airliner, designated as the ATR 72, was directly developed from the earlier ATR 42 and had much in common with it; the principal difference between the two airliners was an increase in the maximum seating capacity from 48 to 78 passengers. This was principally achieved by stretching the fuselage by 4.5 m (15 ft), along with an increase of the wingspan, the use of more powerful engines, and increased fuel capacity by about 10%.Ceiling
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The ATR 72 is a twin-engine turboprop, short-haul regional airliner.
The ATR 72 is a twin-engine turboprop, short-haul regional airliner.
